How is it that sometimes the slightest of injuries can cause a disproportionate degree of pain? Like paper-cuts. Ugh.
I had a fairly innocuous injury yesterday afternoon when I sort of ‘fell off’ a strappy sandal and twisted my ankle . The sudden spraining hurt but then it went all warm (actually felt very nice) and I carried on. We were at our village’s annual Summer do and hung about to watch a band (surprisingly good), no problem to stand while they played their Who and Cream covers, didn’t feel a thing. We enjoyed that special smell of trampled-on grass combined with deep fat frying that you only ever get at these events, then walked the half-mile back home, all was fine for an hour, and then, unexpectedly, the pain really kicked in.
I had a fairly innocuous injury yesterday afternoon when I sort of ‘fell off’ a strappy sandal and twisted my ankle . The sudden spraining hurt but then it went all warm (actually felt very nice) and I carried on. We were at our village’s annual Summer do and hung about to watch a band (surprisingly good), no problem to stand while they played their Who and Cream covers, didn’t feel a thing. We enjoyed that special smell of trampled-on grass combined with deep fat frying that you only ever get at these events, then walked the half-mile back home, all was fine for an hour, and then, unexpectedly, the pain really kicked in.
It got worse, so intense I couldn’t put any weight
on my ankle and had to crawl up the stairs to bed on my hands and knees (very undignified). Lying there with my foot propped up trying unsuccessfully
to get to sleep my thoughts went off on a dark dismal walk of their own. My ankle was never going to be the same, I’d have to give up going out – going anywhere at all - and we’d need to
leave our little home because we couldn’t fit a Stannah Stair Lift. I’d get so fat through immobility that I’d
have to be hoisted in and out of bed and end up featuring in a Channel 5
programme about the dangers of strappy footwear: ‘My Sandals Ruined My Life’. Oh, the shame.
Those dark nights of the soul are bastards, aren’t
they? I’ve had them before, where a
hairline crack in the bathroom wall ends up with the whole terrace collapsing, and with it the entire
fabric of your life.
I heard the milkman's bottles clinking at 3.30 this
morning and next door’s dog barking at his footsteps...
...The first cars of the day crunching on the tarmac on their way to the 6am shift at the factory
down the road.
As the darkness of the night started to subside, so did the worst of the pain, and so did the thoughts. Resting the foot today, in between hobbling. Throwing out the sandals.
Ouch! Sorry to hear about your mishap C. I know exactly what you mean about those dark nights of the soul - when something niggles away and a comparatively minor problem can grow out of all proportion during the wee small hours, resulting in a long sleepless night. I hope the pain from your twisted ankle continues to subside and that you sleep less fitfully tonight.
ReplyDeleteThank you! Much better today and a good night's sleep. It's funny how much darker things can become (metaphorically) in the middle of the night and when you're tired. I have to try to remind myself that my fears won't seem so bad in the morning, however real they seem at the time. So far, so good...
DeleteIt's no consolation, I know, but at least you managed to turn the pain and the subsequent anxiety of the small hours into a fine blog post... Nope, definitely no consolation.
ReplyDeleteHope you continue on the mend, go steady.
Haha - happy to plump for that being 'some' consolation, so thank you! Mending ok - just no mountaineering for me for a while ;-)
DeleteBut here's some consolation though - Detectorists is back on tonight! Great excuse to put your foot up in front of BBC4...
DeleteI did! And it was wonderful, loved every second of it.
DeleteGot the tee shirt...
ReplyDeleteJohn, I immediately thought of you! I really hope your fracture is healing well and you're out of pain. Hope you threw your strappy sandals away too....
DeleteStrong drugs ie painkillers and alcohol. Numbs any pain and dark nights of the soul/sole.
ReplyDeleteWine and aspirin have been consumed! Not together...
DeleteFirst of all, what a great clip to end with - loved it. BUT sorry to hear of your mishap and equally sorry to hear that it got to you during the wee small hours - Hope all will be back to normal soon but you are right, time to throw out the sandals. I have had a shoe dilemma myself of late as the smart court style of shoes I wear to work have it seems done a bit of damage of late and although I think it is fixable, in the wee small hours I project that I will have to live the rest of my life in slippers and never be able to go walking, dancing, or do "anything" ever again! Time to throw them out too - We ladies do terrible things to ourselves in the name of fashion. We'll no doubt regret it in our dotage.
ReplyDeleteTake care of that ankle!
Thanks Alyson, glad you like the clip - I love the first girl twirling while the boyfriend fixes the car - there's nothing like a good old-fashioned sexual stereotype!
DeleteOh no, those wee small hours of doom. "The rest of my life in slippers..." made me laugh - it's hard to imagine, we must do all we can to keep those days at bay - I'm hoping the beige flatties with the Velcro straps are still some years off...
Ankle much better today, thanks, so I feel a lot less decrepit!
Good that you are on the mend. As for the shoe thing, am suddenly very worried that the days of beige velcros are upon me! A wise person once said - We spend two thirds of our lives in shoes and a third on mattresses - Never stint on either or there will be a price to be paid!
DeleteThanks Alyson. Blimey, that's food for thought about the shoes and mattresses - good advice but rarely heeded I expect, especially when it comes to shoes.
DeleteTime to embark on a new project - shoe design - we need to replace the beige velcro look with something fantastic in time for our own dotage!
Good plan - I have my eye on some fabulous (but sensible) shoes of the blue suede variety!
DeleteCount me in!
DeleteSorry to hear that C, wishing you a speedy recovery. I had a similar mild injury a year ago when I fell off a small step ladder while trimming a hedge. Landed on the grass on my upper foot and, like you, it wasn't painful at first. That same evening, I struggled to walk and had to ice it and rest for a couple of days. I too feared the worst but was comforted by family. Yeah, those sandals sound like they belong in the bin :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris, definitely on the mend now, amazing what a difference it's made after another night of sleeping with propped up on a pillow. Sorry to hear about your similar experience, glad you were ok and it wasn't more serious (especially as you were trimming at hedge at the time!) It's odd how (apart from the initial one) the pain doesn't kick in properly until later, isn't it? I was reading up about it and found various explanations to do with adrenalin and the fact it was kept moving etc. - the body has some incredible responses to injury, I'm always fascinated regardless of the inconvenience! The swelling's been bad but what a great natural 'cushion' for my poor old battered bone... :-)
DeleteProbably dancing on the dining room table like Ginger Rogers by now, but I wish you the best anyway. Anyone who reads your post can empathize with those dark thoughts in the wee hours. Just awful. On the bright side, love the Ventures clip!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian, not quite dancing on the table but no more dark nights of soul or sole lately, thankfully. Just realised that I haven't even worn shoes for a week, as I work from home and haven't needed to go ou - I'd better try one on later today, make sure it still fits!
DeleteGlad you like the clip.